BATON ROUGE, La. (KTVE/KARD)– A House committee on crime advanced a bill 8-1 that would allow permitless concealed carry for individuals 18 and older. Representative Danny McCormick brought the “constitutional carry” bill before the committee on Tuesday. McCormick’s bill would amend present law that only allows concealed carry for 21 or older who undergo the proper training to receive a permit.
So, I think the law is for anybody that is going to follow the law if somebody wants to carry a gun, they’re going to do it anyway. However, I do encourage proper training and for people to reach out to a professional and be trained on gun safety.
Caleb Wallace, General Manager, Simmons Sporting Goods
House Bill 131 would have similar current rules that allows individuals 18 and over to openly carry a firearm. This bill would also allow individuals to carry a concealed weapon at the same age. 27 other states have similar laws in place to allow for permitless carry, including every state that Louisiana’s border touches.
The committee also passed two bills pertaining to allowing current law surrounding individuals convicted of felonies possessing firearms. However, the bill was opposed by a long list of progressive groups and several groups representing law enforcement.
If you have our police officers that are going to be engaging on police stops and they are against this bill I trust them.
Tom Constanza, Executive Director, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bill will go next to the house floor for debate.
